UNBAIRABLE!

Jonny scores unbeaten 63 to help Hyderabad beat Punjab

CHENNAI: Left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed led an impressive bowling effort before Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped its three-match losing streak with a nine-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Wednesday.

Asked to bowl first, the Hyderabad pace-spin duo of Khaleel (3 for 21) and Abhishek Sharma (2 for 24) did bulk of the damage to bundle Punjab out for a below-par 120 in 19.4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1 for 16), leg-spinner Rashid Khan (1 for 17) and Siddarth Kaul (1 for 27) also picked up a wicket each as Punjab never gained momentum.

Chasing 121 for a win, SRH openers Jonny Bairstow (63 not out off 56 balls) and David Warner (37 off 37 balls) pummelled Punjab into submission, adding 73 runs off 61 balls. Bairstow and Kane Williamson (16 not out off 19 balls), playing his first match of the season, knocked off the remaining runs as Hyderabad romped home with eight balls to spare.

Bairstow and Warner smashed five boundaries and two sixes during their 50-run stand in the powerplay, while Punjab had managed only nine fours and two maximums in its entire innings. Later in the chase, SRH added a couple of sixes and a four.

Warner picked up the first boundary when he sent a Mohammed Shami delivery across point in the third ball of the innings. Bairstow then welcomed left-arm spinner Fabian Allen with a four and a six in the next over. A low Shami full toss was later sent across mid-wicket by Bairstow before Warner hit the Indian through backward point.

Bairstow also pulled Moises Henriques over long leg, while Warner swatted Arshdeep Singh over backward square leg. Warner, who hit Deepak Hooda for a six over extra cover in the 10th over, was dismissed in the 11th off Allen’s bowling. Warner holed out to Mayank Agarwal as Allen delivered a wicket maiden.

Earlier, Shahrukh Khan (22) and Mayank (22) were the top scorers for Punjab, which kept losing wickets at regular intervals and failed to stitch a meaningful partnership.

BRIEF SCORES: Punjab Kings 120 in 19.4 overs (K Ahmed 3/21) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 121/1 in 18.4 overs (J Bairstow 63*)

I AM JUST ABSOLUTELY OVER THE MOON TO GET OVER THE LINE. IT HAS BEEN A TRICKY START (TO THE SEASON) FOR US. I AM REALLY PLEASED THAT I WAS THERE TILL THE END — Jonny Bairstow, Man of the match